Celebrate National Bacon Day With These Mouthwatering Recipes

Beloved by millions for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (even dessert!), bacon has made a comeback. It happened when we all realized fat can be our friend and sugar is the enemy, at least when hidden in our foods or added too much. Fat is satisfying. And especially in the form of pork, it makes everything taste better. Any day is a good day for bacon in our opinion, but in the world of food holidays, December 30 is National Bacon Day. That’s a good excuse as any to get that savory goodness sizzling.

And during prime pigskin-watching season, otherwise known as football in the United States, it’s fitting to eat your bacon as well as cheer for it. Celebrate this meaty pseudo-holiday with more than a simple bacon and eggs breakfast ‑ although there’s nothing wrong with that morning classic. We’ve got some great bacon-y recipe ideas that will make everyone (including your dog) pant with wanting.

1. Easy Potato Skins

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Five or six slices of cooked and crumbled bacon make your potato skins so much better. Potato skins are perfect for watching football too, because you don’t need silverware and you can eat it while keeping your eyes glued to the screen. Get our Easy Potato Skins recipe.

2. Best Clam Chowder

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When it’s cold out, people want some warm soup, and creamy clam chowder is even better, with some Saltines too. It’s made creamy with a pound of potatoes and a bit of heavy cream, and flavored with some fresh herbs. Get our Best Clam Chowder recipe.

3. Easy Slow Cooker Baked Beans

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Molasses, brown sugar, and ketchup add the sweetness to this classic side dish, but it’s the six slices of thick-cut bacon that adds the savory-salty taste you need to cut through all that sweetness. Grab some navy or pea beans and your Crock Pot and get going. Get our Easy Slow Cooker Baked Beans recipe.

4. Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad

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Combine winter’s Brussels sprouts in a new way, making it a little Roman. Hardboiled eggs and bacon with a creamy dressing create a sprout dish that your diners will want to shout about. Get our Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad recipe.

5. Pig Candy

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Put a jar of this on the coffee table during the big game and see what happens. You can be a few of the whoops you hear aren’t related to a play gone right or wrong. It’s worth a cheering section of its own. Not only does it combine salty and sweet flavors, this pig candy is easy too. Get our Pig Candy recipe.

6. Braised Red Cabbage with Bacon

Make red (purple, really) cabbage awesome with some applewood smoked bacon in there. The salty, savory flavor is cut with some mustard and apple cider vinegar too, to balance it out. This is a side people will love. Get our Braised Red Cabbage with Bacon recipe.

7. Bacon Maple Sticky Buns

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Sticky buns, like cinnamon rolls, are not your ordinary breakfast item. They’re freakin’ special. What’s even more special is when you make a gooey maple caramel sauce for a topping punctuated with chunks of eight slices of bacon. Get our Bacon Maple Sticky Buns recipe.

8. Mac and Cheese Bites with Bacon and Mushrooms

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When you sauté the sliced mushrooms in the bacon fat, that makes even fungi taste out of this world. Mac and cheese is already a simple comfort, but with bacon, come on, it’s ridiculous. Plus, it’s sized to fit in your hand! No utensils needed. Take it on the go. Well, see how well it holds together first. Get our Mac and Cheese Bites with Bacon and Mushrooms recipe.

9. Summer Corn Chowder

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No need to wait for that wonderful fresh summer corn if you have a hankering for this off season. Use a bag or box of frozen corn. No prob. What really makes this chowda so desirable is the creamy potato broth and the bits of bacon. Get our Summer Corn Chowder recipe.

10. Bacon-Cheddar Meatloaf

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What’s better than meatloaf? Bacon-y, cheesy meatloaf. Oh yeah. Using 2 pounds of ground beef and all the traditional flavorings like Worcestershire sauce, it’s a comfort food already, and it’s so simple. These two tweaks don’t mess it up, just make it better. Get our Bacon-Cheddar Meatloaf recipe.

Amy Sowder is the assistant editor at Chowhound in New York City. She loves cheesy things, especially toasties and puns. She's trying to like mushrooms. Her running habit is the excuse for her gelato passion. Or is it the other way around? Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and her blog, What Do I Eat Now. Learn more at AmySowder.com.